Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-12

he ranged himself alongside Fischer he raised |
himself to his full height, while his burly
form seemed to expand with the feelings that
were within him. Last came Parsons. His
face looked actually handsome, though it
was very pale. When he stepped upon the
gallows he turned partially sideways TO the
dangling moose and regarded it with fixed,
stony gaze-one OF mingled surprise and
curiosity. Then he Strengthened himself I'M
der the fourth moose, and, as he did so, he
turned bis big ,ray eyes upon the crowd be-
low with such look of awful reproach and
sadness as could not fail to strike the inner
most chord of the hardest heart there. Ii
was look never 70 be forgotten. There was
an expression almost of inspiration the
white, C I'm face, and the great, stony eyes
seemed to burn into mems hearts and ask:
What have donef'
There they stood upon the scaffold, four
white-robed figures with SET stoicai faces, to
which it would seem no influence could bring
a tremor of fear.
And now bailiff approached, and, seizing
Spies robe, passed leathern strap around
his ankles. In moment they were closely
pinioned together Engers legs were next
strapped together. and when the official APP
preached Fischer the latter Strengthened up his
tall figure to its full height and placed his
ankles close together to facilitate the opera
tion. Spies was the last, but he was the first
around whose neck the fatal cord was placed.
One of the attendant bailiffs seized the moose
in front of Spies and passed it deity over
the doomed mans head 1t caught over his
right ear Int Spies, with shake of his
head, cast it down around his neck, and then
hail inhta IL hal
warm flesh, aud carefully placed the Moose
beneath the left ear
When the officer approached Fischer threw
back his head and barred his long, muscular
throat by the movement Fischer's neck
was very long, and the moose nestled snugly
around it. When it was frightened around
his windpipe Fischer turned around to Spies
and laughingly whispered something in
Spies ear. But the latter either did not hear
him, or else was too much occupied with
other thoughts to pay attention. Engel
smiled down at the crowd, and then turuing
to Deputy Peters, who guarded him, he
smiled gratefully toward him, and whispered
something to the officer that seemed To affect
him. 1t looked at first as if Enge was about
to salute his guard with kiss. but be EVIL
IDENTIFY satisfied himself with some word of
peace Parsons head never moved as the
moose dropped over his head, but the same
terrible, fixed look was on his face
And now people were expecting that the
speeches for which the four doomed ones
craved twenty minutes each would be deliv-
cred, but to every ones surprise the officer
who adjusted the moose proceeded to fit on
the white cap without delay 1t was first
placed on Spies head, completely hiding his
head and face. Just before the cap was
pnlled over Fischsr's head Deputy Spears
turned his eyes up to meet those of the tall
young Anarchist Fischer smiled down on
bis guard just as pleasantly as Engsl did on
his, and he seemed to be whispering some
words of forgiveness but it may have been
| otherwise, as not even the faintest echo
reached the men in the corridor below En-
gel and Parsons soon donned their white caps
| after this, and now the four men stood upon
the scaffold clad from top to toe in pure
| white
All was ready now for the signal to let the
| drop fall In the little box at the back of
| the stage and fastened to the wall the invisi-
Bile executioner stood with az poised, ready
to cut the cord that held them between earth
and heaven. The men had not noticed this,
| but they knew the end was near.
For an instant there was a dead silence,
and then mournful, solemn voice sounded
from behind the first right-hand mask, and
cut 'he ar ike wall OF sorro" ana warn
| ing. opits was speaking from oehhiu us
shroud. Inc wofus seemed 10 drop INTO the
| cold, Silent air ike pellets or nre Here IS
VIA ne san ~ = no. ,eo = .n1as u',,
80 - '.. ''' 10 ''o WI '''o
'"oai my o'se' ahee9
linen a deeper stronger voice came out
| WIN ihuried, mysterious cadence from DE-
n,hu Tue Wnlte pail .hat ma 1he race OF